Right Under Their Noses
by iluvfanfics1
Summary: Getting together and staying together was easy. It was telling other people that was difficult. Now that their secret is out, Ginny's life could be in danger. A Draco/Ginny story told in a series of 1,000 ish  word drabbles.
1. Chapter 1

It was one of those moments when every mistake you've ever made, every decision you've ever chosen and the things you never said but meant to, come rushing back.

Ginny heard them all pounding at her, echoing in her ears like an ocean wave. The lies she'd lived with for the past four years and the lengths to which she had gone to protect her secret suddenly fell away like they'd never existed at all.

She stared at Draco.

His face was expressionless but she'd learned long ago to read what was behind his mask. He was waiting for her to make the first move. But how dare he, _how dare he,_ make this decision without consulting her first. This was neither the time nor the place. Not now. Not with everyone stopping to stare at the odd triangle she, Draco and Ron made in the hallway outside the Great Hall. If they did this now, there was no going back. Ever. She would not make this declaration and take this leap without the assurance that he would be leaping with her.

She glanced nervously at Ron and then at Harry and Hermione who were hovering just behind him. Harry looked livid; the expression on Hermione's face was one of curious horror. Ginny knew that when the truth was revealed, Hermione would be angrier that her skills at observations had failed than at Ginny for lying to her. She fought back a hysterical giggle at the thought.

"Ginny," Ron said in a furious voice. "Tell me this poncy git is lying so I can punch him in the face."

She sighed and let the strap of her satchel slide off her shoulder and drop to the floor in defeat. How had it come to this? Why had Draco taken the teasing so far?

Her eyes met Draco's. They were a familiar dark grey and she knew with a certainty that she could not deny him this moment. No one had ever stood up for him like she was about to do. His parents had never loved him enough and it was so sad that Ginny had no choice but to turn to her brother and say, "It's true. Everything Draco said is true."

Silence rang briefly in the corridor followed quickly by gasps of shock and outrage. Hermione's mouth opened and closed like a fish and all the blood drained from Harry's face. Ron's entire body was rigid. His hands curled into white fists and he stared at his sister; rage, disgust and disappointment warring with each other on his features.

Ginny only had eyes for Draco. Relief was swirling in his eyes now and she could see his chest puff up with pride or love, she didn't know which. He slowly lifted his arm and extended his hand to her. She knew that if she took it, they would suddenly be a united front.

There was a moment of hesitation and everyone held their breath while Ginny slid her hand into his outstretched one. She was angry with Draco for doing this here and now but she could yell at him later. Draco's fingers closed over her smaller ones and he tugged her closer to his side. Holding his hand and being pressed against his side while his arm slid around her waist was nothing new for her, but considering that they'd just outed their four-year relationship and it was the first time they'd touched in public, it felt brand new. Her body tingled where it was nestled against his and her heart began an all-too familiar fluttering.

She chanced a look at Ron and thought he might be going into some sort of fit. His face was purple and he appeared to be having trouble breathing.

"Ron."

Ginny was not afraid to beg. She turned pleading eyes to Hermione. Her friend nodded sharply at her but her expression promised that they _would_ be discussing this later.

Without witnesses.

Hermione reached out and placed a soothing hand on Ron's shoulder. "C'mon, Ron," she whispered. "We'll talk about this later. This isn't the time. We're going to be late for class." She nudged Harry who had been staring at Ginny and Draco with aplomb and he jumped.

"Ron," she repeated. "Let's go. We'll talk to Ginny later."

Through sheer determination and with a final, pointed glare in Ginny's direction, Hermione led Ron and Harry away. Ginny knew it was only because the two of them were in such shock that there hadn't been more of an explosion, but she was grateful for whatever reprieve she'd been granted.

Draco turned suddenly icy grey eyes on the gathered crowd. "What are you all looking at?" His grip tightened on her hand. "Get the hell out of here before I start taking points."

Those gathered knew better than to think that this year's Head Boy would joke about such a thing and soon the corridor was bustling. Ginny heard the whispers and gossip start almost as soon as people started moving again. She closed her eyes, knowing what the day would bring: strange looks, glares from her fellow Gryffindors, gossips and rumors.

Her forehead dropped onto Draco's shoulder.

"What have you done?" she moaned.


	2. Chapter 2

Draco and Ginny didn't speak after he scooped up the bag she'd dropped earlier and, tugging her arm behind him, led her back to his private Head Boy's bedroom.

When they reached the portrait, he spoke the password in a carefully controlled voice and pushed her inside before letting the door shut behind them. Ginny sunk to the floor in front of the couch and buried her head in her face and knees. Now that the moment had passed, she couldn't stop shaking.

Draco remained standing and watched her with hooded eyes. "Is it so bad?" he asked finally. "Is it so awful to have everyone know about us?"

Ginny looked up at him incredulously. "What's awful," she spat, leaping to her feet in a rise of swift anger, "is that you let your feelings for my brother get in the way of your judgment. I can't believe you did that! In front of everyone! Without even asking me how I felt about it!

He shrugged his shoulders. "We've been talking about it," he pointed out. "I just sped up the process."

"You sped up the process because you wanted to get one up on my brother! It had nothing to do with me or us; it had to do with you showing off!"

His eyes flashed but he did not deny her statement. They stared at each other for a moment and then he sighed. "Fine. You're right. And…I'm…sorry."

Ignoring the fact that Draco had apologized – something he'd only done twice in four years – Ginny fell back on the couch. "Doesn't matter anyway," she said, the anger disappearing as quickly as it had come. "The damage is done. Everyone will know about us by lunchtime."

He took the seat next to her and placed a warm hand on her knee. "I ask you again – is it so bad that people know?"

She rolled her head on the cushion and looked at his profile. "You know, I really think I'm okay with people knowing – it's almost a relief. What I object to is the way you did it. What on earth possessed you? We've been sneaking around for four years and you've been fighting with my brother for longer than that. Why now?"

His jaw tightened. "I just…snapped. He'd noticed me staring at you during breakfast and he followed me into the hallway. Apparently I've been staring at you a lot lately and he told me in no uncertain terms to leave his precious baby sister alone. That you would never look twice at a git like me and if I ever approached you he wouldn't hesitate to beat the hell out of me."

"What did you tell him?"

Draco shook his head. "I don't know what came over me. You know I've been growing tired of sneaking around and well…I exploded. I told him that he was blind and that you hadn't been able to get enough of me in the four years we'd been dating."

Ginny groaned again and covered her face with her hands. She felt Draco shift closer on the sofa and then felt his hot breath on her neck as he smoothed back her long hair.

"I wasn't sure you would do it," he said quietly. "I forced you into a corner and I wouldn't have blamed you if you had denied the whole thing."

She turned her head and peeked at him through her spread fingers. "I'm not ashamed of us," she said sharply. "I would not have done that to you."

He nodded and leaned over to brush a soft kiss on her neck. Ginny shivered. "No one has ever, ever defended me like that," he said in a low voice. "Thank you."

She let one of her hands trail down the side of his face, wishing that he'd known the love that she had in her life. "It was my pleasure."

He shoved her hands aside then to kiss her on the mouth. As always, she couldn't stop her body's immediate reaction to him and she melted into him, the electricity between them allowing him to straighten her out underneath him so he could press her back into the cushions. He stretched out on top her; her legs automatically spreading to allow his pelvis settle between them. They'd been in this position a million times before but she got swept up in the fog he created every time.

His tongue unwrapped itself from around hers and he moved his mouth over her skin, branding her with his heat wherever he touched. Long fingers slid up to cup a breast and he pressed harder into her, unable to stop the automatic grinding of his hips.

"I want you," he murmured into her skin. "I always want you."

She arched into him, exposing her throat and he took the invitation, bending his head to trail his mouth and teeth over the skin. "Now everyone will know you are mine," he whispered in between nips of her flesh. "I won't have to refrain from hexing those gits who watch your arse as you walk in the corridors or listen as Potter tries to flirt with you. I can take you to Hogsmeade and cheer for you at Quidditch and scare away anyone who even looks at you wrong."

Ginny laughed shakily, breathlessly. "No one looks at me wrong, you prat."

"They will now." He stopped his ministrations and lifted his head, his eyes widening. "Shit."

"What?" Ginny ran a hand through the pieces of long blond hair that had fallen out from where he'd tied them back this morning. "What's wrong?"

Draco sprang up from the couch and began an uncharacteristic pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace. "Dammit," he cursed. "How could I have been so stupid?"

"What!" Ginny sat up and smoothed down the front of her robes. "Draco, tell me."

"I can't believe I'm such an ass," he moaned. His hands tugged at his hair and the leather thong he used to keep it tied back fell out. He ran shaking hands through the long strands.

"I've been saying you're an ass for years now," Ginny said dryly. "You're just now starting to believe me?"

"This is serious," he snapped at her. "You could be in danger!"

"Danger from what?"  
He stopped pacing and stood rigidly, his hands clenched into fists. Ginny could tell that his mind was racing. Plans were quickly being hatched and discarded as Draco's nimble mind whirled through possibilities.

"Draco," she said impatiently.

He focused his eyes on her. "My father," he said grimly. "Some aspiring Death Eater is immediately going to inform my father that his son is dating a blood-traitor and he'll come after me. After you."

"He wouldn't!" Ginny was shocked. She knew Lucius Malfoy was an evil man but he wouldn't come after his own son's girlfriend. Would he?

"He wouldn't dare!"

"Yes," Draco said, "he would. Oh, he won't kill me, I'm his only heir. But he wouldn't hesitate to take you back to his precious Dark Lord as some sort of punishment."

"Don't be ridiculous," Ginny said, standing up and walking over to him. "He's not going to break into Hogwart's just to kidnap me."

Draco shook his head. "No, but there's Hogsmeade and my father's very patient. He would have no trouble waiting until the end of the school year and taking you from the train. He's ruthless Ginny, you've no idea."

Actually, Ginny had a very good idea considering her own past with Lucius Malfoy and the stories that she'd wormed out of Draco, but she didn't think this was the time to remind him. She was touched that he was so worried about her. Draco made no secret of how he felt about her, but he wasn't often inclined to say the words. With him, actions spoke louder.

"Hey," she said softly, lacing their fingers together. "We'll figure it out."

He grabbed her then and held her close. She wrapped her arms around his waist and let him hold her. "I'll figure something out," he promised. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I won't let him hurt you. Ever."


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a long day and Ginny was filled with trepidation about going back to her common room. She knew that Hermione would be unable to hold Ron off for long and she didn't relish the coming confrontation. She'd sent a letter to her parents earlier, knowing that it would be better if they heard the facts from her instead of whatever furious ramblings Ron would pen.

Luckily, Ron and Harry were both missing from the common room and Ginny scurried up to her dorm room. Unfortunately, Hermione was waiting for her on her bed.

"Let's go," she said shortly, after Ginny had unloaded her backpack.

"Where?" Ginny asked suspiciously.

"To the boy's room," Hermione ordered. "You and Ron are going to hash this out. I've put up with his ranting and raving all day long. It's your turn now." She turned on her heel and marched out of the room, clearly expecting Ginny to follow her.

Ginny didn't bother to thank her friend for being a day-long buffer. She pressed a hand to the butterflies in her stomach and followed Hermione slowly down the girl's staircase and back up the boy's side. Hermione opened the door to the seventh year's room and stood aside allowing her to enter first. Ginny was grateful when Hermione shut the door after entering herself and placed an silencing and locking charm on it.

Ron looked up from his bed and stared at his sister stonily. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Ginny held up a hand. "I've come to explain."

Ron opened his mouth but closed it when he saw the expression on Hermione's face. Ginny tossed ideas of what to say rapidly around in her head, knowing that none of them would be good enough for her brother. No matter what she said, he would take it as a personal betrayal.

Finally she lifted both hands, shrugged her shoulders and said simply, "I love him."

Ron exploded. "WHAT! Are you insane?" He leapt up from the bed and stalked over to her. Ginny took out her wand, prepared to defend herself but Harry and Hermione each grabbed an arm and pulled him back.

"Ginny!" Harry said desperately. "You can't be in love with a Death Eater!"

Ginny inhaled sharply. "He's not a Death Eater!"

"He bloody well is!" Ron raged. "His father is You-Know-Who's right hand man!"

"That's his father! Not him!"

"Malfoy is a complete git and he's made our lives miserable for the past seven years!" Harry shouted at her while still holding onto Ron's arm. "How can you be with him?"

"Ginny," Hermione interjected, her voice purposely calm. "Why don't you tell us how this all started."

Ginny faltered for a moment and then took a deep breath. "Fine, but you have to all promise you'll sit down and listen to me. _Listen,_ Ron. For real. Just pretend for a moment that you don't really know anything about Draco Malfoy."

Hermione didn't give Ron or Harry a chance to answer no. She simply pushed them both back onto Ron's bed and stood with one hand firmly clasped on Ron's shoulder. "Go on," she motioned.

"He found me my second year," Ginny blurted out. "That's when it started. Apparently he'd been trying to get me alone for weeks. I had no idea. Finally he caught me in the Owlery."

"What did he want?" Hermione asked.

"He'd found out that his father had been the one to give me the diary," Ginny explained. "And he apologised."

"Apologised? To you?"

Ginny nodded eagerly. "Yes. I was surprised too. I mean, when you think about it, it wasn't really Draco's fault. But he told me that no matter how much he hated my family, what his father had done was wrong and he was sorry for it. He said if he'd known, he would have stopped it."

"And you believed him?" Harry asked doubtfully.

"Not at first," Ginny conceded. "But he was offended that I wouldn't accept his apology. I guess I wounded his pride, because he spent the next several weeks trying to convince me of his sincerity."

"Then what happened?" Hermione prompted.

"Well…then, we became friends," Ginny said slowly. "And he was unlike any friend I'd ever had before. He was rude and startlingly honest and didn't like any of my other friends and we couldn't be nice to each other in public. But he was funny and he made me laugh and he, well, he's brilliant. You can't deny that. We didn't start out to keep it a secret – it just happened that way. We knew no one else would understand."

"And then when," she swallowed, remembering, "when he kissed me, it went without saying that we wouldn't tell anyone. We've pretty much ignored each other except in private."

"But what about Michael Corner?" Ron finally burst. "And Dean? And Dumbledore's Army? You Bat-Bogied him two years ago in Umbridge's office!"

Ginny sighed and rubbed her temples with two fingers in an attempt to get rid of her sudden headache. "Okay, listen. Michael Corner was a ploy to throw off my roommates who were getting suspicious of all the time I was spending outside the Tower. And I never really dated Dean. I just told you I might be interested in him. And look, the Umbridge thing was something we'd planned from the beginning. Draco couldn't not be a part of her little squad without the other Slytherins getting suspicious. His father is a dangerous man and Draco didn't want to show his hand before he absolutely had to. I hexed him because we had to make it look real."

"As far as why he's still so mean to you, I can only tell you that I love Draco because of who he is, not because I want or can change him. If I stopped seeing him just because we don't agree on every pureblooded issue, I'd be no better than the prejudices we've been fighting against our whole lives!"

She might have been wrong, but Ginny thought she saw Hermione give a satisfactory nod when she finished her little speech. She left out the descriptions of the regular arguments she and Draco had over Voldemort and his ideas. Although Draco had changed from when they first met, he still felt wizards were superior. She doubted she could ever change his mind about that, but as long as he didn't pledge his allegiance to some half-blood Dark Lord over it, she figured she could live with it.

"So he's not in support of Voldemort?" Hermione asked.

Ginny shook his head. "No. Especially not after what happened to me in the Chamber and especially not after learning that Tom Riddle's father was a Muggle. Draco is very protective of me – he could never support someone who tried to kill me. He's made a deal with Dumbledore. If Dumbledore will leave him alone, Draco will switch sides when it's absolutely necessary to do so. We're not stupid; we both know the war is coming. But the longer Draco can stay on his Father's side, the better off we'll both be."

"I'm writing Mum," Ron announced suddenly. He stood up and pulled away from Hermione. "She'll talk some sense into you."

Ginny smirked. "She knows. I wrote her this afternoon. I knew you'd try that."

"And what did she say?"

Ginny shrugged. "I dunno. No howlers yet though."

"Dad." Ron pointed a finger in her face. "Dad will be livid. He hates the Malfoys."

"He hates Lucius," Ginny corrected. "He doesn't know Draco." Inwardly she worried that Ron may be right. Her father, though a kind and good-hearted man, would be blinded by his hatred for Lucius.

"I can't believe Draco Malfoy has been dating the same person for four years," Hermione mused.

Ginny's anger flared briefly. "He's not some man-whore, Hermione."

Ron scoffed.

"Ginny…he's good to you, right?" Hermione questioned.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes. He only beats me every other Friday."

"What!" Ron's face turned purple.

Ginny wrinkled her nose at him in disgust. "It was a joke, Ron. You might think about having a sense of humor now and then."

"It's pretty hard to joke when I find out my sister's been dating Draco bleeding Malfoy."

Ginny put away her wand and brushed off an imaginary piece of dust from her jumper. "I have to go meet Draco for supper. I'm sort of excited. It's the first time we'll be seen together-"

"You didn't answer my question," Hermione interrupted. "Is he good to you? Does he treat you alright?"

Ginny sighed. "It's really none of anyone's business and I know you won't believe me when I say this but trust me, Draco treats me better than you can possibly imagine." She turned to go.

"Ginny," Harry said quietly. She turned back to see him looking quite serious. "I'd watch your back if I were you. The Slytherins aren't going to be too happy when they find out that Malfoy has been seeing someone they consider to be a blood-traitor."

"Thank you, Harry." She smiled brilliantly at him. "But I wouldn't worry about it. Draco will protect me."


	4. Chapter 4

Ginny ran down the steps, buttoning her jacket as she went. She'd promised Draco she would meet him by the main door two minutes ago. He hated it when she was late and if he was in a foul mood then they wouldn't have any fun today in Hogsmeade.

As it always happened, her first sight of him took her breath away. There were very few people in the world who could wear complete black with such success and Draco was one of them. He cut quite an imposing and intimidating figure as he stood by the front steps; the sunlight shone on his head highlighting the contrast between the darkness of his clothing and the light of his hair and skin. He looked like a dark angel.

She hurried out the front door and was pleased to see the scowl on his face disappear as soon as he saw her.

"Sorry!" she called out as she skipped down the steps. "Lost track of time."

"A likely story," Draco replied on a long-suffering sigh. "Have you ever heard of a watch?"

"I have one," she shot back just as she reached him, "it's broken."

"Probably from lack of use," he murmured. He caught her up to him as she hopped down from the last step and with no further ado, sealed her mouth with his. The greeting kiss was short but its intensity made her knees feel like jelly. The thought flitted through her mind that he was showing off for someone; and when his fingers grazed down to lightly play over one arse cheek, she was sure that he was.

Ginny broke the kiss. "Who's watching?"

"Your brother." He smiled unashamedly down at her.

"Then stop groping my arse," she said irritably. "Do you _want_ him to beat you up?"

Draco's eyes glittered down at her. "I can't help it if you've got the most perfect arse that ever fit into a pair of muggle jeans." One hand boldly cupped a cheek and squeezed slightly. "Really, it's less about showing off and more about testing him to see how much I can get away with before he-"

"Malfoy!" Ron was storming across the grass on the front lawn of the castle. "Get your hands off my sister!"

Draco slid his hand up from her arse and onto her waist, but he didn't step back. Ginny felt like they were both bracing themselves to be run over by a charging bull and she leaned instinctively closer to Draco. Ron stopped short in front of them, his face thunderous and his mouth opening and closing in rapid succession.

"Yes, Weasley?" Draco lifted one eyebrow.

Ginny would have laughed at the shell-shocked look on Ron's face except that this was her brother and she knew he was genuinely confused and hurt by the situation. He loved her more than he hated Draco but she'd been lying to him for four years. She knew it was hard for him to wrap his mind around that.

"Ron," she said quietly. "It's fine. He's allowed to touch me. Remember?"

Draco took a hint and stepped away, catching her hand to tug her along.

"I love him, Ron." Ginny shot her brother a glare, daring him to argue with her. He let her walk away without a response, but probably only because he couldn't find the words he wanted to say.

Draco and Ginny walked hand-in-hand but also in complete silence to Hogsmeade. Ginny wondered if she should feel a little guilty about lying to her family. She was sad, she supposed, that they felt betrayed, but she wasn't with Draco because she knew it would be a popular choice.

"Penny for your thoughts, Weasley."

Ginny stopped walking. "You haven't called me that in three years."

Draco stopped walking too and looked back at her, a look of surprise on his face. "You're right. I don't know why I said that."

"You realise this is where is gets really rough, right?" Ginny prompted. "You thought the last four years of sneaking around were tough? Letting people know about us and seeing us everyday and kissing me in front of my family – that's when it gets hard."

"What are you saying?" He let go of her hand and shoved his own into the pockets of his black trousers. "Do you doubt my commitment to you?"

Ginny softened. "No, it's not that. I know you love me, Draco. I do. It's just that I want you to be prepared."

"Prepared? For what?"

"For my crazy family. Most of whom think you are some sort of evil genius."

Draco laughed.

"Why are you laughing? There's nothing funny about any of this!"

Draco coughed, his laughter winding down and said soberly, "No, you're right. It's just that of the two of us, I'm pretty sure my family is going to prove to be the craziest. I mean, my family might _actually_ kill you. Or at least pay someone else to do it."

He reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her closer until she was nestled warmly in the shelter of his arms. "It's also amusing, or sad, I haven't yet decided, to realise that even after four years of worship, you still don't have any idea of how much you mean to me." He titled her chin up with his finger until he was staring into her eyes.

"I would do anything, anything at all, to keep you by my side. 'I love you' is the most inadequate of phrases to describe what I feel for you."

"I know, really –" was all Ginny managed before Draco cut her off by pressing his mouth to hers. What followed was a more than adequate demonstration of Draco's feelings that only ended once Ginny was gasping for breath, her clothing in disarray, her body a boneless heap in his arms as they stood against a nearby tree trunk.

Draco chuckled in male satisfaction, his fingers reluctantly withdrawing from the waistband of her jeans.

"I can't believe you did that," she said, slumping against the bark and closing her eyes. "Anyone might have seen."

"I couldn't help it," he murmured, bending his head to her neck. "You are so adorably responsive."

"Besides," he continued, his kisses soothing the fire still burning inside of her, "no one is around. They're all at Hogsmeade."

"Really? Everyone, Draco?"


	5. Chapter 5

Ginny had, of course, heard Draco's angry voice before; usually it was directed at a first-year or a Gryffindor or, in a few situations, her. But she had never, ever heard him speak in such a deadly cold voice. Nor had she ever felt him shake with anger quite this way before.

"What are you doing here?"

She was pressed against the tree, with Draco's back blocking most of her view. The warmth created between a few minutes ago disappeared when she poked her head out from underneath Draco's arm and saw Lucius Malfoy standing on the path that led to Hogsmeade.

"I just came to see if the rumors about your little Gryffindor bit on the side are true." Lucius batted not an eye at the vehemence of his son's anger. In fact, Ginny decided, he looked downright bored with the whole thing.

"They're true," Draco said through gritted teeth. "Now leave."

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "You know that normally I could less about your-" he gave a familiar smirk , "dalliances. However, in this case, due to the nature of the _type_ of person you are cavorting with, I felt it necessary to visit and remind just who and what you are."

"No need to visit, Father. I'm pretty sure I've good idea of who I am," Draco said dryly. "I'm not the type of person who does _dalliances_."

The implication of his cutting words, as well as the sneer on his face, was obvious – at least to Ginny. Draco didn't do dalliances; but his father did.

"A Weasley, Draco? A blood-traitor? Have you no sense of propriety?" Lucius' eyes flickered in such a way that led Ginny to believe he was doing a bang-up job of concealing the true depths of his anger.

"Father," Draco said conversationally, as he drew his wand out from underneath his sleeve. He seemed quite calm now. "I think it's time you knew something."

Lucius eyed Draco's wand almost amusedly. "Knew what?"

"My loyalties lie…elsewhere."

"Your loyalties," spat Lucius, "lie with your family."

"They do, Father. Indeed, they do. I guess we have different definition of that word, however, because-"

"I am your father! You will do as I say!" Lucius thundered. Ginny could see that he was truly angry now. His hand twitched on the wand he'd just pulled out from the head of his cane.

"You are my father," Draco agreed coolly. "But I don't have to do a single thing you say."

Before Ginny knew it, Draco had shoved her behind the tree and was aptly defending himself from the curses his suddenly enraged father was throwing at them. Ginny scrambled back to her feet and pulled her wand out of her back pocket just in time to shield Draco from a spell that would have surely rendered him unconscious.

There was a maniacal look in Lucius' eyes as he dueled with his son. Ginny shivered. Draco had a similar look but it was usually backed by a different kind of passion. The shield she was holding over Draco faltered as it weakened and he looked back at her.

"Ginny," he commanded. "Let go. I can't fight him with your shield in the way."

Lucius paced the edge of her shield, looking for the weak spots and firing random curses in an attempt to break it. It took every inch of her concentration to maintain it.

Ginny shook her head. "No, he'll hurt you, he'll—"

"Ginny," Draco grabbed her wand arm. "I _have_ to fight him." They stared at each other, protected in the powerful bubble of protection she'd created for them. Draco's eyes bored into hers with their intensity. She'd always known that he would eventually have to make a choice; that he would have to take sides. But she'd been naïve when she hadn't realized what that would mean for him. To defy his father; to duel with him in this way – there was no going back now. The past four years suddenly seemed like child's play; they had both been remarkably stupid. This was real life. Draco fighting with his father over her; that was a reality she had not been prepared for.

"It's not just about you," Draco said, reading her thoughts. "This has to be done."

She nodded and his eyes slid to the right, directing her next moves silently. She nodded again and he turned back to face Lucius. Ginny counted to three, dropped her shield and hit the ground before throwing her body to where Draco had motioned for her to go. She wasn't stupid enough to think she would be much of a help to him. Draco knew curses she'd never dreamed about. She would only be in the way. Still, she held onto her wand in case she was needed.

Lucius hit Draco with a curse that knocked him off his feet. He flew through the air and landed with a thud close to her hiding place. The curse had hit him with such force that he'd lost a grip on his wand. Draco moaned and forced himself to roll over and push himself off the ground.

On the other side of the road, Lucius grinned in satisfaction and approached.

Ginny saw the panic in Draco's eyes when he realized his wand was gone and she quickly stretched out to hand him hers. As she slapped it in his palm, he looked up and met her eyes.

"I love you."

Ginny smiled. "I know."


	6. Chapter 6

Ginny wasn't looking for company, but when she heard Draco's unmistakable footsteps on the stairs to the Astronomy Tower, she was suddenly lonely for him.

He entered the room quietly and joined her at the window, his fingers lightly gripping the windowsill. They watched the last of day's sunlight disappear in silence.

Finally, mindful of the bruised collarbone and other scrapes and cuts he'd received earlier that day during his fight with Lucius, she leaned her head against his arm and slid her arm around his waist.

"They're wrong, you know," she said softly.

His fingers tightened on the windowsill and he tensed.

"Draco-" Ginny began but he just twisted to his side and wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding her so close she couldn't breathe.

"They might be right," he admitted into her hair. He inhaled deeply. "But I'm too selfish to listen to them."

"They're wrong," Ginny said forcefully. "They don't know _anything_, Draco."

He lifted his head from her neck and looked at her sardonically. "There's no arguing that things would be better for you if we had never gotten together, but I'll be damned if I give you up now."

Draco had reiterated as much to Ron and Harry when they'd stormed in on him in the hospital wing a couple of hours prior. They'd shouted at him, demanding that he break up with Ginny for what they insisted was her own good. Ginny had been more angry than she'd ever been in her whole life.

"That's crazy," she'd snapped. "You two are out of your bloody minds! Do you have any idea what Draco has done to protect me? He's snuck around in secrecy for _four years_. Do you two idiots even have a notion of how difficult that was? He fought his _father_; his own flesh and blood! He's turned his back on his entire family, just for me!" She thumped herself in the chest for emphasis. "How dare you ask him, or me to-"

She'd had to break off there because she'd nearly hyperventilated in her anger at them. They were so blind if they couldn't see what Draco had sacrificed by switching sides so blatantly. Unable to put her anger into any more words, she'd drawn her wand to hex the life out of them, but Draco had stopped her.

"Get out," he commanded them, one hand still gripping her wrist to keep her from casting the spell.

Ron's face was thunderous as he tried to stare Draco down. "She's my sister!"

"I'm well aware of that," Draco had shot back. "But I have no intention of breaking up with her. _Ever_. So you might as well get used to me, Weasley, because neither you nor my father is going to scare me off."

Even now, with Draco's arms around her, Ginny shuddered at the thought of being apart from him.

"I'll never leave you," he said quietly, his eyes boring into hers. "I promise."

"Good," Ginny pulled back and titled her face up to his for a soft kiss. As his lips touched hers, she vowed silently to never, ever forget what Draco had given up for her on this day.

"You know what I have to do now," he stated, pulling back a little.

Ginny nodded. She knew. And she wasn't looking forward to it.


	7. Chapter 7

Professor Dumbledore eyed Ginny and Draco over the top of his steepled fingers. They had just finished recounting Draco's fight with Lucius. Draco's hand tightly gripped hers. They waited.

Finally, Dumbledore said, "Your story interests me very much and you've both been very brave. Particularly you, Draco. But one thing interests me very much indeed." He held out a hand. "Might I see your wand, Miss Weasley?"

"My wand?" Ginny glanced at Draco and then shrugging, pulled it out of her sleeve and handed it over.

Professor Dumbledore lifted the wand slightly in the air, twisting it this way and that, as if he could get it to reveal its secrets simply by examining it.

"And you say that it worked for you nearly as well as your own wand?" He questioned Draco.

Draco nodded. "Yes, it was surprising. I didn't expect to last long with it, but it was nearly as good as my own. My father was surprised too. I think it gave me an edge, that element of surprise. He hadn't expected me to be as capable as I was with Ginny's wand and it took him off guard."

"It felt comfortable in your hand? Familiar?"

Draco considered. "In a way. Here, let me see." Dumbledore handed him the wand and Draco gripped it firmly, contemplating. He pointed it at the Professor's bowl of lemon drops and whispered a levitation charm under his breath.

"It doesn't feel as good as my own wand," he said slowly. "But it's still a bit like coming home." One corner of his mouth turned up in a smile and he looked at Ginny. "Rather like being with her, actually."

"Ah!" Dumbledore sat back in his chair with a sigh of satisfaction. "I wondered. That's a very good way to describe it, Mr. Malfoy. The best I've ever heard."

"What does it mean, Professor?" Ginny looked at her wand in Draco's hand curiously.

"I've seen this before," Dumbledore answered. "Though not very often, I admit. And there's really no magical term for it; just my own observation, really."

He leaned forward, folding his hands together on the desk. "I've never officially documented it, but I have noticed that between certain couples, there exists a sort of…compatibility, magically-speaking. Those who are particularly well-suited to each other might find it easy to, for example, use each other's wands."

"And that's unusual?" Ginny asked.

Dumbledore smiled at her gently. "Yes. Most wizards can only use their own wand to the best of their ability. I believe it indicates you and Draco are 'made-for-each-other.'"

Ginny flushed; but whether it was from embarrassment or amusement at hearing Professor Dumbledore use such vernacular, she was unsure.

"It's a strength you could certainly use to your advantage; particularly in the coming months."

He didn't say it but the implication was clear; Draco and Ginny were going to have a fight on their hands.

Draco cleared his throat. "Yes, about that. I know what we spoke of last year, but I've changed my mind about some things."

Ginny looked at him in surprise. Changed his mind about what?

"I don't want to go into hiding," Draco continued. "I know know my father isn't going to give up; but I'm not going to tuck my tail between the Order of the Phoenix's legs and hide."

Dumbledore nodded gravely at him. "I understand your reluctance, but Draco, it really might be for the best. You could be in grave danger. Your father…he is going to be very angry. And angry men take drastic measures."

"I know. But I will not hide." Draco reached out and took Ginny's hand. "I'm done hiding."


End file.
